Oct. 24, 2014

Nerve Transplant Allows Paralyzed Man to Move Legs Again

Darek Fidyka lost all movement and feeling below the waist when he was stabbed in the back in 2010. Now he is able to drive a car and walk with a frame, and regained bladder, bowel, and sexual sensation, thanks to a pioneering treatment. Professor Geoffrey Raisman of University College London and his collaborators repaired the gap in Fidyka's spine with strips of nerve from his ankle and cells from his nasal cavity. Raisman says that while the technique appears to have worked in this case, it's unclear whether it will translate to patients with more comprehensive spinal injuries.